In May, we posted about the virtual return New York’s South Street Seaport Museum‘s monthly Chantey Sing. It was great fun. The next Seaport Chantey sing is scheduled for this Sunday, July 5th. From the Seaport press release: South Street … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
On June 23, the keel was laid for the Interlake Steamship‘s new Great Lakes bulk carrier at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI. The 639 ft-long, 28,000-tonne Lake-Class self-unloading bulker is the first US flag self-propelled bulk carrier to … Continue reading
We recently posted about a delay in the start of the Maine windjammer schooner passenger season due to the pandemic and concerns that it may not start at all. The good news is that the State of Maine, working with … Continue reading
Whale watchers off San Diego were shocked to see what appeared to be a beluga whale in southern Californian waters. Video shot from a drone confirmed the sighting. Belugas typically live in the waters of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. This … Continue reading
At the end of May, we posted about the unplanned 10,000-mile voyage of the bark Europa, made necessary when the pandemic shut down transportation options for its crew. Argentine sailor, Juan Manuel Ballestero, 47, faced a similar challenge and found … Continue reading
For decades, schooners referred to as “windjammers” have sailed up and down the Maine coast carrying vacationers from May to October. This year, however, the pandemic has delayed the season and there are concerns that it may not start at … Continue reading
While this may not appear to be the best time to start a new cruise venture, if all goes well, in the Spring of 2021, Tradewind Voyages will offer voyages on the Golden Horizon, a 272 passenger five-masted barque. Setting … Continue reading
The 958-foot long, US flag container ship, Maersk Idaho is anchored off the coast of Virginia after several crew members tested positive for COVID-19. Maersk is working on a plan to evacuate the ship, bring the crew to a quarantine … Continue reading
Every year, the Alaskan fishing industry attracts tens of thousands of migrant workers. In remote Bristol Bay, Alaska, between 10,000 and 15,000 fishermen come to work on the salmon boats plying the Bering Sea, while another 6,000 workers or so … Continue reading
A huge cloud of desert dust has blown off the Sahara and is bound across the Atlantic Ocean heading toward the United States. While dust plumes are not uncommon, this plume is exceptionally large and dense with the highest concentration … Continue reading
Pullmantur Cruceros, a joint venture between Royal Caribbean and Cruises Investment Holding, has filed for reorganization under Spanish insolvency laws. Cruises Investment Holding owns 51 percent of the three-ship Spanish cruise line, while Royal Caribbean owns the remaining 49 percent. … Continue reading
In mid-March, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced that the major cruise lines were shutting down operations from all US ports for at least 30 days in response to the coronavirus pandemic. A month later, the Center for Disease … Continue reading
Fifty years ago this November, the residents of Florence, Oregon learned how not to dispose of a dead whale. Now, a half-century later they have named a park after that lesson. The residents have recently chosen to name a local … Continue reading
The US government has now reversed the recommendation made by high ranking Navy officials that Capt. Brett Crozier, commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, be reinstated. In April, the coronavirus was spreading out of control on the aircraft … Continue reading
Today is Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, when 155 years ago, emancipation arrived in Galveston, Texas by steamship. Here is an updated repost from a few years ago. Although the … Continue reading